I know that some readers of this blog are aspiring professionals, so every now and then I like to present a few business-related tips that might help for the rest of this year and into 2027.
Today’s Post by Joe Farace
Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do— Potter Stewart
Let’s start by taking a look at the cliché that says “cheaters never win.” As sophisticated 21st century individuals, our life experience tells us that sometimes the opposite is true. Cheaters often win and sometimes they win big, but don’t let this fact make you ignore everything you learned from your parents, Sunday School or just plain knowing what’s right.
Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.–Thomas Jefferson
Sometimes ethical dilemmas can be easy to solve, like the time a client paid me twice for the same assignment. The second check arrived several months after the first one and chances are they would never get caught their mistake if I just kept my mouth shut and cashed it.
What made it doubly interesting was that the check arrived during a time when my cash flow wasn’t that great and the extra money would have helped me pay some bills. All of these thoughts were running through my mind while I held the check in my hands all the while knowing that no matter what excuses I made up, cashing it was stealing. I returned the check to the client along with a note explaining that it must have been sent in error.
And then something interesting happened.
I originally expected that the original assignment for that client would be a one-shot deal but after returning the check, they continued sending me occasional small projects. I don’t know whether returning that money had anything to do with this repeat business (or maybe she just liked the photographs) but I knew one thing for sure: I could sleep better at night without my conscience banging me in the head with a hammer calling me a cheater.
Something similar happened when I was writing a magazine review of a studio lightning system. The company sent me a press release along with detailed specifications of the lights and attached to one of the documents was a check made out to me. This was trickier so I spoke to the magazine’s editor about it and he said “this is just the way some companies like to do business.” But I couldn’t in good conscience keep the money, although I can’t speak for other reviewers who maybe also wrote reviews of these same lights. So I emailed my contact and told him I was returning the check and if he liked, he could send me a replacement made out to a charity that my wife supported and I would foward it to them. He did and I did and the lights were pretty good (but not great.)
I know business ethics is a concern for many photographers because it seems to be a constant thread in questions I’m asked about how to handle clients for assignments where mistakes were made. Look, it happens. When you make a mistake, admit it. Don’t make excuses, just tell the truth and offer to re-shoot the job or whatever they want by simply asking “what would you like me to do?” Believe me these are magic words in the world of real customer service and you will be surprised by the good will they will generate,
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